


Day Off

by LyriaBlackFrost



Series: Gladnis Week 2018 [3]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: First date (kinda), Fluff, Gladnis Week, M/M, brotherhood era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-06-30 22:41:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15761196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyriaBlackFrost/pseuds/LyriaBlackFrost
Summary: Breaking the brats’ records on their favorite games would be fun. But, more importantly, it was also the perfect excuse for a date.Day 3: “Gamer’s Paradise” for the Gladnis week 2018.





	Day Off

“Tomorrow is your day off, right?”

Ignis raised his eyes as Gladio approached him, leaning on the wall by his side, a towel around his shoulders. They had just finished their training for the day and had a few minutes to rest before returning to their respective duties.

“It is,” said Ignis.

“Do you have any plans?”

“Nothing in particular,” he thought for a second. “Maybe I’ll use it to get a little ahead on my schedule—”

Gladio interrupted him with a glare.

“Don’t you even think about it!”

A small laugh left Ignis’ lips.

“I knew you’d get angry…” he said.

“If you knew it, then don’t even consider it next time.”

“As you wish,” he agreed, a glint of amusement in his eyes. “But it’s not like I have much else to do. Chances are I’ll spend most of it reading, then stay at Noct's apartment for the night. Nothing too unusual.”

Gladio nodded, waiting a few seconds before casually saying what had been on his mind for a few days.

“Well, I have a plan for you.” He looked at Ignis, barely managing to hold back a playful smile. “Care to listen?”

“Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling?”

“Don’t be so quick to judge me, Iggy.” Gladio laughed, throwing his arm around Ignis’ shoulders. “Trust me, it’ll be fun.”

Ignis sighed, but Gladio could tell he wasn’t as exasperated as he tried to look.

“Very well,” he said, “what’s on your mind?”

“You know those game records the brats brag so much about?

“How could I not?”

“So, let’s break them.”

Ignis stayed silent, considering that silly sounding proposal for a moment.

“Actually,” his lips curved into an interested smile, “this sounds quite entertaining.”

“I knew you’d like it!”

They used the rest of their free time to make the plans for the next day. Gladio, of course, failed to mention he would consider it their first date. _One thing at a time_ , he told himself.

As combined, they met at the arcade on the next afternoon. Gladio would never admit it, but _damn_ … he was excited. It wasn’t that common for him to have an excuse to spend time with Ignis outside their work.

The first choice was a game Prompto wouldn’t shut up about. It was a _bullet-hell_ type of game, with emphasis on the _hell_ part. It required considerable skill to even finish it, what to say about having a good score on top of it. Gladio had barely reached the middle of the first stage when he got his first _game over_.

“Damn, I thought I was good at this. I guess those kids are just on another level.”

“Let me try,” asked Ignis. “I’m fairly good at this one.”

Gladio shrugged, letting Ignis take his place.

“Go ahead.”

Ignis did that, and Gladio watched as he started playing. Surprisingly, he wasn’t so bad at it… He wasn’t bad _at all_.

“You actually _are_ pretty good!” Gladio widened his eyes, staring at the screen.

“I told you so.”

“I admit that I didn’t take you too seriously.”

“You should be thankful I’m not prone to holding grudges.”

“Except you totally are, and now I’m fearing for my life.”

Ignis simply smiled as an answer. He kept playing, finishing stage after stage.

“Man… Is there anything you can’t do?” asked Gladio.

“I could make a list, if you wish.”

“Ok… List three, then.”

Ignis opened his mouth, but didn’t say anything, frowning as he thought of an answer. Gladio laughed.

“You can’t even think of three!”

“It’s difficult to think under pressure, Gladiolus,” retorted Ignis. “And I’m still concentrating on the game.”

“Yeah, yeah…” Gladio looked at the screen, where Ignis’ character danced around a rain of projectiles and beams like it was nothing. “Holy shit, how did you get this good?”

“It’s not like Noct had anyone else to play games with before he met Prompto.”

“Oh, I see…” he opened a playful smile. “Well, he’ll regret his mistake soon enough.”

“Aren’t you enjoying this a little too much?”

“Says the one who agreed to accompany me.”

“That’s a good point.”

Ignis brutally murdered everything on the screen for the next few minutes, as Gladio watched. That was an unexpected side of Ignis, and he was happy to have discovered it.

“You know, this is kinda fun,” he admitted.

“Indeed.”

A light smile took Ignis’ lips, and Gladio couldn’t help but notice how relaxed he looked. It was good to see the guy take a break from all his work… Gladio’s gaze went from Ignis’ lips to his eyes. At such a close distance, it was possible to notice how green they were. Gladio always thought they were beautiful.

No… Not only his eyes. Everything about his face, his subtle expressions, the way his hair fell on his forehead, the small, clear dots all over his skin, his parted lips… Gladio shifted in the same place, a little uncomfortable with his own thoughts. With the movement, their arms touched lightly, and it was like a jolt of electricity ran through his body.

“ _Oh, shit…”_ he thought, startled. _“Shit, shit, shit…”_

What was he thinking? It wasn’t like he hadn’t felt attracted to anyone before, or that he hadn’t been aware of his own, growing crush on his friend from the beginning. Damn, it wasn’t like he hadn’t been _way more_ intimate with anyone before. He was just…

“Done.”

It took Gladio a second to notice the scoreboard screen in front of them, which now had Ignis’ name at the top of the list, lowering Prompto’s to the second place.

“Gladio?” Ignis looked at him, probably concerned about that lack of response. “Something wrong?”

“No, nothing,” he answered quickly. “Just got a little distracted.”

“I guess it would get boring after a while.”

“Yeah…” he noticed his mistake in time. “I mean, no, I wasn’t bored. Just thinking of the brats’ reactions when they see this.”

That was a fairly good excuse, and Ignis seemed to accept it.

“I hope this won’t make Prompto cry…” he said. “I’m already starting to regret it.”

“C’mon, Iggy… Prompto cries about everything! Remember when he let his damn popcorn fall on the cinema?”

“ _Dear six_ , I wish I didn’t…”

Despite his words, Ignis smiled fondly at the memory, and Gladio had a strong urge to hug him. _Shit, he really had it bad_ _…_

“So, next one?” he suggested.

“Sure.”

They approached another machine, this time one of Noctis’ favorites. Gladio rolled up his sleeve, flexing his arm, flashing a cocky smile.

“This time, you’ll be the one impressed by my skills.”

Gladio knew how suggestive that sounded with the tone he used, and that was his intent. He didn’t know what kind of reaction he expected from Ignis — flustered? Confused? — but it surely wasn’t that small, almost provocative smile, while he stared straight at his face.

“I sure hope so,” he said. “It would be disappointing if you were just talk.”

 _Wait_ _…_ Was he flirting with him? No, maybe he wasn’t. He couldn’t tell for sure.

“I’m everything but _just talk_ , you just wait and see.”

This time the two of them played together, and Gladio was thankful that Ignis’ skill in that one was more human-like, so he wouldn’t end up embarrassing himself. This time, it took them a few tries to beat Noctis’ high score, but Gladio managed to do it by a margin of a little over three hundred points. Good enough.

They spent the next few hours like that, going from one game to another, sometimes succeeding, and others, failing at breaking those records. But Gladio didn’t feel bothered about it, since, from the beginning, he just wanted an excuse for them to spend some time together. He would casually get closer to Ignis, with more small touches than necessary, and not even once did his friend make any effort to stop him. More than once, they exchanged phrases that could easily be misinterpreted, and, at some point, he couldn’t tell if Ignis was being awfully dense or more aware of Gladio’s feelings than he thought. It was a little frustrating, but part of him enjoyed it.

They left the arcade when it was getting dark, walking together to where Gladio had parked his motorcycle.

“Are you going to Noct’s place?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Come, I’ll give you a ride.”

“Are you sure?” asked Ignis. “I must stop on the way to buy something for dinner.”

“No problem, I’ll go with you.”

“If you insist.”

Ignis sat behind him, his arms closing around his waist, and _Astrals_ , how he wanted to interpret that gesture wrong…

They stopped to buy a few ingredients, then proceeded to Noctis’ apartment. Gladio parked close to the entrance, feeling a little disappointed that their time together was already over.

“Here we are,” he announced, taking off his helmet. “Are you going to spend the night, again?”

“Yes, it seems your highness can’t survive without my help.”

“That’s because you pamper him too much.”

“Maybe so.”

A low, slightly hoarse laugh left Gladio’s throat.

“I wish you cared half as much about me.”

Ignis looked at him, raising his brow, an amused smile forming on his lips.

“You do?” he asked.

 _Oh, fuck_ … He said it without thinking, and now he couldn’t come up with an answer. He covered his light embarrassment with another laugh.

“It wouldn’t be that bad,” he managed to answer in a playful tone. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

He was about to put his helmet back, when a light touch on his arm stopped him.

“Gladio…”

Gladio turned to face him, and in the next moment, Ignis’ lips were on his. He was so caught by surprise by that gesture that he couldn’t even react before it was already over.

“You know…” said Ignis in a low tone, close to his ear. “You’re not subtle at all.”

He walked away, leaving Gladio there, staring at his back, unsure of how to react.

 

* * *

  

The sound of the apartment’s door being open called Noctis’ attention. He shifted on the sofa, seeing Ignis there, a small grocery bag on his hand.

“Hey, Specs,” he greeted him. “You’re pretty late today… I’ve been waiting for—”

Noctis stopped talking when he realized Ignis wasn’t moving from the entrance, his back against the door, a hand covering his eyes. He said nothing for a while, and it worried Noctis, who got up, closing their distance with fast steps.

“Is everything alright?” he asked.

Ignis took a few seconds to answer, raising his eyes without looking at Noctis, his hand still covering the lower half of his face.

“Yes,” he said under his breath. “But I believe I just did the most stupid thing in my whole life.”

The answer, alongside that unusual expression of embarrassment, made Noctis’ worry give place to a morbid curiosity.

“What? Really?” he asked. “Ignis Scientia did something stupid? Wow… What was it?”

Ignis stared at him. _Wasn_ _’t he way too eager to hear about his misery?_

“Nothing that concerns your Highness,” he answered in an annoyed tone, going past Noctis, placing the bag on top of the counter, with his cell phone and keys beside it.

“C’mon, now I wanna know! What did you do?”

Noctis followed him to the kitchen. Ignis simply ignored him, searching the place for what he needed to make dinner. Noctis insisted for a while, but then got tired of it and proceeded to play on his phone. They were silent for a minute or so, but then Ignis forgot all about being angry, and they began to chat while he prepared dinner for both.

A buzz called Noctis’ attention. It didn’t come from his phone, but Ignis’, which was next to his arm. He looked at it, a little distracted, seeing that there was a new text from Gladio. What intrigued him, however, was the small preview of the message: “ _Hey Iggy, about today_ _…”_

Without thinking twice, he unlocked the phone. He wouldn’t usually do it, but if Ignis wasn’t willing to talk about whatever was upsetting him, then he would discover it by himself. He opened the message, hoping those two hadn’t fought, or something equally bad.

 

 _**Gladio (07:14pm): Hey Iggy, about today** _ _**… I really had fun with you.** _

_**Gladio (07:15pm): So, if you ever feel like going out again** _ _**… You know, break some game records, talk a little…** _

_**Gladio (07:15pm): Maybe kiss again, who knows?** _

 

“Oh.” Realization slowly fell upon him as he read. “Oh… Oh!”

Ignis turned to him

“What’s the matter?” he noticed Noctis’ eyes were on his phone, and it didn’t take long for his brain to make the connection. “Ah!”

He approached Noctis with hasty steps, taking the phone from his hands, reading those messages with a blank expression.

“Specs…” started to say Noctis.

“No.”

“Are you and Gladio…”

“I said no.”

“Going ou—”

Ignis slammed his hand on the counter top, glaring at him.

“That’s it,” he said in a low, paused tone. “Peas and carrots for dinner tonight.”

“What? Nooo…”

He ignored Noctis’ whining, leaving the kitchen, looking again at his phone, noticing three new messages there.

 

 _**Gladio (07:16pm): Damn, you** _ _**’re right, I’m not subtle at all.** _

_**Gladio (07:17pm): But I want to go out with you again.** _

_**Gladio (07:17pm): What I mean is I like you, and I really like spending time with you.** _

 

He smiled to himself. Who’d have expected that Gladiolus Amicitia would be the kind that struggled with words?

“Aww…”

Noctis’ voice startled him. He hadn’t noticed his younger friend glancing at the screen over his shoulder. He glared at Noctis, who took a step back, raising both hands.

“Alright, alright…” he said. “No need to murder me with your eyes, geez…”

He walked to the couch, falling on his back, going back to playing on his phone. Ignis returned to the kitchen.

“But, you know,” said Noctis after a minute. “I’m happy for you.”

Ignis looked at him, and couldn’t hold back a smile.

“Thank you, Noct.”

Noctis smiled back at him.

“But you’re still eating your greens,” added Ignis.

Noctis let out a long, pained groan. _Dramatic as always_ …

“By the way, Specs…” he proceeded, when he had enough of his own scene. “What is it about _breaking some game records_?”

Ignis grinned, and Noctis _knew_ he should be worried.

“Oh, nothing important,” said Ignis.

Noctis narrowed his eyes at him.

“I don’t trust you.”

“You’re hurting my feelings.”

“Uh, sure…” he raised a brow in disbelief. Then, after considering it for a second, added in a softer tone: “Can’t we just skip the peas for today?”

Ignis rolled his eyes. However, he knew when to admit defeat.

“Fine…”

Noctis celebrated in a low voice, cursing over something that happened in his game soon after. Ignis used that chance to look at his own phone, noticing another new message there.

 

 _**Gladio (07:19pm): I hope I** _ _**’m not creeping you out with all this…** _

 

He almost felt bad about not answering before, and leaving him on that suspense. _Almost_. He considered it the payment for all the times Gladio _accidentally_ invaded his personal space earlier that day. He typed and sent his response.

 

 _Ignis (07:27pm): Not at all. Actually, I_ _’d like it too._

 

A light smile took his lips. He couldn’t deny it: he was looking forward to their second date.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! :)


End file.
